Chapter 16

After the detailed explanation, Tetsuya felt his mouth go dry. He took a long sip from his bottle of milk, drinking nearly half of it before feeling better.

"Tetsuya, this is not only your first time participating in a Gym battle but also your first time discussing an investment with someone like me."

Brock smiled but didn't directly answer Tetsuya's question. Instead, he changed the subject.

"Ahaha, yeah, that's true." Tetsuya scratched the back of his head. "Is it that obvious?"

"How should I put it?" Brock set down his utensils. "Honestly, this is my first time having this kind of discussion, too. I've had people like Nurse Joy invest in me before, but that was always in the form of direct upgrades to my treatment. We've never communicated like this."

"But it feels a little strange for you to be so straightforward. Normally, shouldn't I propose my terms, you consider them, reject or revise them, and then we reach an agreement?"

"That's one way to do it. Want me to take it all back and go through it properly?"

"No need for that. I think everything you said makes sense. I have no objections." Brock quickly waved his hand.

The two exchanged glances and laughed.

Tetsuya continued, "It's all business, so a verbal agreement should be fine. I'll have someone send the specifics to your watch later. Just review it when you get the chance."

"What about the personal matter?" Brock asked.

"It's a private favor. I'd like you to develop a training plan for my Geodude. Of course, I'll compensate you for it." Brock's eyes narrowed slightly, making it difficult to read his expression.

"No problem, but you'll have to wait a few days." Tetsuya agreed without hesitation.

"No rush. Handle your business first. In five days, just come to the front desk at Pewter Gym and ask for me."

"Got it." Tetsuya glanced at his watch. "Alright, I've got something else to take care of. I'll get going."

"Alright, see you." "See you."

Brock watched Tetsuya walk away, his eyes still slightly narrowed. He slowly stood up, recalling the conversation he had with his father that morning.

"So, you've decided to put him in charge of Geodude's training?" Flint's face was unreadable.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure."

Flint was silent for a moment before nodding. "Then do it. You're still young."

Brock narrowed his eyes. Yes, he was young. He could afford to take a gamble.

His intuition told him that what Tetsuya had shown so far was just the tip of the iceberg.

If he was right, then just like his father before him, he could quickly rise to power and strength.

And if he was wrong? He would lose a bit of time and a single Pokémon. It was a small risk, one he could afford.

Don't disappoint me, Brock thought, turning toward the Pokémon Center's exit.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya retrieved his Pokémon from Nurse Joy and headed toward the Bounty Hunter Center, still deep in thought.

Why had Brock asked him to make a training plan for Geodude? Was this some kind of test?

No, if it was a test, Brock could have easily asked him to train one of the Gym's Pokémon and observed the results.

If it wasn't a test, then the request seemed almost too good to be true.

Tetsuya frowned. He couldn't imagine that Brock had no one else to turn to for a training plan. As the son of a Gym Leader and a talented Breeder himself, Brock had plenty of resources. If he needed help, he could easily hire a professional. Plus, he was fully capable of designing Geodude's initial training plan on his own.

I can't figure it out. No matter how I look at it, I just can't figure it out.

Even as he stepped into the Hunter Center and started browsing missions, the question still lingered in his mind.

Ah, whatever. It's not like I'm important enough for someone to scheme against. I don't have anything to expose—nothing about Combusken, nothing about Zero.

It's probably just Brock's personal whim.

Better to focus on what matters—taking on jobs and making money.

Tetsuya scrolled through the mission board, skimming through several tasks before selecting a C-rank job. He was about to confirm when he noticed a message pop up:

"Remaining C-rank mission slots: 2."

Huh? Aren't I a C-rank bounty hunter? Why can I accept three missions at once?

Checking his profile, he noticed a small note attached to his information: C-Rank (Privilege Increased by One Level).

Another perk of high-level treatment? Not bad.

Tetsuya sighed. The Nurse Joy family really had connections everywhere. Even the pay raise was impressive.

Taking advantage of the bonus, he picked up two more promising C-rank missions and set out for Mt. Moon.

Mt. Moon—a place where meteorites had fallen long ago, rumored to be home to Clefairy.

The cave system had been carved out over the years by miners and tunneling Pokémon, creating a labyrinth where many trainers easily lost their way.

Despite that, Mt. Moon remained a hotspot for adventurers seeking Moon Stones, fossils, and Pokémon like Pidgeotto, Nidorino, and Nidorina.

Tetsuya moved cautiously through the damp darkness, his flashlight guiding the way.

This was his third hour inside, and he had already strayed from the League-approved path.

For what felt like the tenth time, his foot landed on something unexpectedly hard—another Geodude.

With an annoyed sigh, he signaled his RoboPitcher to handle the situation.

These rock-bodied Pokémon weren't worth anything. They just lay around in the cave, blending in with the terrain. He had already stepped on at least seven or eight.

But the deeper he went, the fewer Geodude appeared. Checking his suit's environmental monitor, he noted the humidity was beyond their preferred range.

That meant he was close.

Taking out a drone from his backpack, he carefully piloted it deeper into the cave.

The night-vision camera scanned every crevice as he and Combusken followed at a safe distance.

Then, as the drone pushed further ahead, it finally spotted the targets.

Tetsuya grinned, watching the feed.

Letting the drone attach itself to a rock wall above, he turned to Combusken. "Alright, use the weakest Ember possible on those two Paras. Don't fry them completely."

Combusken nodded and carefully released a small flicker of fire into the shadows.

The sudden glow lit up the cavern, revealing tangled roots in the corner where two Paras and a Parasect were clustered, feeding off the underground growth.

Bingo.

The two Paras collapsed almost instantly, unable to withstand the heat.

"Nice, we got two mission targets at once. I thought finding a Parasect would be the hardest part."

Tetsuya smirked. His luck had been improving lately.

He tightened his gas mask.

"Combusken, don't get too close. Taunt Parasect first—make it release its spores."

Combusken let out a sharp cry, causing Parasect to shudder before taking a few cautious steps back.

Then, as if completely enraged, the massive mushroom on its back burst into a cloud of toxic spores.

Tetsuya watched the swirling particles in the air, momentarily stunned.

"Well… that's a lot more than I expected."

Tetsuya was so focused on collecting mission materials that he momentarily forgot—Combusken had no way to handle the Parasect without destroying the spores.

The cave was narrow, so even if he had a Pidgeot, there wouldn't be enough space to spread its wings, let alone fan the spores away.

Thinking fast, Tetsuya recalled Combusken to prevent it from being poisoned. Then, he ordered it to fire a weak Ember behind Parasect—not to harm it, but to keep it from advancing.

He quickly maneuvered his drone down and detached its fan system. When linked to his expedition suit, the small fan—normally used to assist movement—suddenly surged in power.

He directed the airflow at the slow-floating spores, causing them to drift even more sluggishly before settling to the ground.

Parasect twitched in confusion, its tiny mushroom brain unable to process what was happening. Unable to move forward due to Combusken's flames, it responded by furiously releasing more poisonous spores.

Tetsuya kept fanning. Unlike Parasect, his machine wouldn't tire out.

Sure enough, after a while, Parasect's spore production ceased. It shuddered, as if its soul had left its body, then collapsed.

"Finish it with Flamethrower."

Combusken obeyed, sending a controlled burst of fire that left Parasect unconscious.

Tetsuya carefully pulled out a container and continued collecting the toxic spores.

Boiled properly, these spores made excellent medicinal ingredients. As for their exact effects… well, the client—some middle-aged man—probably knew better.

It took him half an hour to gather all the spores scattered throughout the cave. During that time, Combusken kept a close watch on the three Pokémon, knocking them back down whenever they stirred.

Tetsuya walked over and ruffled Combusken's head. "Good job."

"Chaa!" Combusken chirped proudly, flapping its wings—or were they hands?

Slipping on a pair of gloves, Tetsuya plucked the two small mushrooms from each Paras' back. Four mushrooms sat neatly in his container. He immediately had Combusken incinerate the gloves, ensuring no contamination.

"We've got enough Parasect spores—100g is more than enough—but we still need more Paras mushrooms. Let's keep searching."

After securing the harvest at the bottom of his backpack, he and Combusken ventured deeper into the cave system.

Navigating through countless forks, Tetsuya marked his route using his suit's navigation system to avoid getting lost.

Of course, if all else failed, he could simply find an opening to the sky and release his Pidgeot to escape. But flying at high altitude over Mt. Moon was risky—it was visible even from Pallet Town. Best to avoid unnecessary attention.

Lost in thought, he barely noticed when RoboPitcher dealt with yet another Geodude underfoot.

Damn, wrong direction again.

Tetsuya sighed as the humidity levels on his monitor continued to drop. The pitch-black cave was disorienting, and without moisture, Paras wouldn't be found here.

Checking his GPS, he saw he was on the western outskirts of Mt. Moon. Nearby, there was an underground river.

Good. If there were any Paras left, they'd likely be there. They thrived in damp environments, feeding off tree roots.

As he moved toward the river, the air became fresher. Stalactites overhead dripped condensation, forming tiny droplets that occasionally landed on Combusken's head.

Combusken shook itself in irritation, ruffling its feathers. Though its body heat quickly evaporated the moisture, the sensation clearly annoyed it.

The distant sound of rushing water echoed in the cave. Tetsuya sent out his drone to scout ahead.

The river was completely silent apart from the running water—no Pokémon in sight. No one was here to drink at this hour.

Moving carefully along the stone wall, Tetsuya turned into another tunnel his drone had mapped.

After a short walk, he found what he was looking for.

Crouching, he examined the tracks on the ground. About five Pokémon had crawled through here, likely a group of Paras. Judging by the depth of the tracks, there was no Parasect among them.

Not that it mattered. Both Paras and Parasect were extremely vulnerable to fire-type Pokémon.

Cordyceps Pokémon like them already took quadruple damage from Fire attacks. If they had the Dry Skin ability, the multiplier doubled.

Without needing a command, Combusken instinctively fired off five small bursts of flame.

The unsuspecting Paras—barely above novice level—stood no chance. Even though Combusken held back, the sheer difference in power and type advantage knocked them out instantly.

Tetsuya collected the mushrooms with an indifferent expression, leaving without hesitation. The unconscious Paras lay there, looking like workers abandoned after a long shift.

"Fourteen mushrooms down. We need three more. No rush." Tetsuya mentally calculated ways to optimize his remaining time.

"Let's find a Sandslash next. If we're lucky, we might find some of its shed claws and avoid a fight."

Paras mushrooms were valuable ingredients for pre-evolution nutrition, while Sandslash claws were key components in certain medicinal potions.

Fortunately, both items replenished quickly once harvested. That's why some trainers raised Paras and Sandslash specifically to sell their mushrooms and claws. Even so, demand still outweighed supply, and bounty requests remained high.

Tetsuya had no intention of raising these Pokémon himself, so the best option was to collect from the wild.

Unlike Paras, which preferred humid environments, Sandshrew and Sandslash thrived in dry conditions. The pre-evolved Sandshrew avoided water entirely.

So, Tetsuya headed in the opposite direction—away from the river. Picking a random tunnel, he ventured inside.

Five minutes later, he and Combusken came sprinting back out.

"Why the hell is there a Rhyperior in here?! This is the outer zone! That thing shouldn't be here!"

Tetsuya was half-panicked, half-outraged. But there was no time to dwell on it—he had to run.

Combusken scrambled behind him, using its claws and flames to collapse the tunnel entrance, sealing the monstrous Pokémon inside.

A thunderous crash echoed from behind as the Rhyperior rammed the blocked passage.

Tetsuya didn't wait to see if it would break through. He and Combusken bolted, determined to put as much distance between them and the enraged rock titan as possible.